Windshield cleaner



March 24, 1931- F. a. FOLBERTH ET AL 1,797,977

JEINDSHIELD CLEANER Filed July 15, 1924 Patented Mar. 24, 1931 Umrso STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK G. IOLBERTE AND WILLIAM H. IbLIBERTH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, AS-

BIGNORS '10 'I'BICO PBODUCTS CORPORAT TION 01' NEW YORK ION, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORA- WINDSHIELD CLEANER Application filed July 15, 1984. Serial 170. 786,228.

This invention relates to windshield cleaners, and more particularly to suction operated windshield cleaners.

In a rior patent to William M. Folberth, granted February 7 1922, No. 1,405,773, there is described and to be arranged adjacent the windshield and connected to the intake manifold of the enine to be operated thereby, the suction motor ing adapted to actuate a cleaner element contacting with a portion of the WlHClSlllBld frame to clean it.

In the operation of an internal combustmn engine for driving a motor vehicle, the suction in the manifold varies within wide limits dependin upon the position of the throttle valve of t e carburetor, and when the engine.

is laboring under a load, the vacuum is decreased to such an extent that the motor of the windshield cleaner has-a tendency to decrease its speed.

In the present invention, weprovide means for driving a suction motor at a substantially uniform speed regardless of the condition under which the engine is operating, and regardless of variations in the vacuum in the manifold. a

. More specifically, the invention comprises a storage tank adapted to be arranged in the conduit between the manifold and the cleaner motor and provided with a check valve on its outlet side, the manifold being adapted to create a vacuum in said tank, which vacuum serves to operate the cleaner at a uniform speed even though the vacuum normally present in the mani decreased due to load conditions on the enne. In the accom anying drawings, we have shown one embo iment of the invention. In this showin Figure 1',1s a side elevation of a motor vehicle, part of the hood and cowl being broken awiy to more clearly illustrate the invention, an s Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the vacuum tank. 1

Referrin to the drawings the reference numeral 1 esignates generally a motor veclaimed a windshield cleaner consisting of a suction motor adapted old of the engine varies or is ,hicle of the usual construction, provided with an engine 2, having an intake manifold 3.

The vehicle is also provided with a windshield 4, and a cleaner motor 5 is arranged adacent the top of the windshield, preferably on the interior in the manner shown in the patent to William M. Folberth, Reissue No.

15,502, granted December 5, 1922. The motor is adapted to actuate a cleanerelementfi,which contacts with a portion of the windshield to clean it. A. conduit 7 is connected to the motor and is adapted to connect it to a source of suction.

Instead of extending the conduit 7 directly to the manifold in the manner heretofore employed, we interpose a tank 8 between the motor and the manifold. As shown, the tank is provided with an inlet opening 9, adapted to receive a tube 10. The conduit 7 is provided with a flared end 11, adapted to. be received within a nipple 12 which is in threaded the other end of the conduit isprovided with a reduced port 18 at its lower end, forming a valve seat at the upper end of th1s port. This valve seat is adapted to rece1ve a' check valve consisting 'of a ball 19, held 1n place by a spring 20. As shown, the valve casing maybe provided with an openmg n ahnement with the reduced bore 18 for the insert on of the valve and the springand this opening 1s adapted to be closed by a 115121. e operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. When the engine 1s operating under normal conditions, the manifold draws air from the vacuum tank 8, forming a vacuum therein. The check valve 18 prevents air from flowing into the tank 1n a reverse direction, and a partial vacuum is maintained in the tank at all times, while the en ine is o erating. The suction drawing air t rough t e cleaner motor is due to the vacuum in the tank 8 and even if the vacuum in the manifold of the engine should vary due to chan ed conditions under which the engine and ve icle are operating, the vacuum in the tank remains fairly constant, causing the cleaner motor to be driven at a uniform speed. As the decrease in vacuum in the manifold is generall for'a short period of time, the engine wil begin to draw air from the tank before the vacuum in the tank is completely exhausted and the cleaner will continue to operate at a fairly constant speed. It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim o 1. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, in the intake manifold of which engine the degree of suction is variable during the normal operation of the motor vehicle; and a windshield cleaner comprising a double-acting, suctionoperated motor and a wiper element operable thereby, said windshield cleaner motor being arranged to move the wiper element back and forth across the windshield of the motor vehicle; of a suction storage tank interposed in the connection between the intake manifold and the windshield cleaner motor,

I and a check valve in the connection between the tank and the intake manifold and opening toward the latter whereby when the degree' of suctionin the intake manifold is in excess to that required for the normal operation of said suction-operated motor such excess will store in said tank, and whereby when the degree of suction obtaining within said intake manifold is .insuficient to normally operatesaid suction-operated motor and is less than the stored suction within the tank said check valve will close communication between the intake manifold and the tank whereby said suction-operated motor will be operated from the supply of suction stored within said tank.

2. In combination with a suction-operated windshield cleaner connected by a suction conduit to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, wherein the manifold suction available for operating the windshield cleaner is variable between a limit insufiicient to practically operate the cleaner and a limit excessive to that required to practically operate the cleaner; of means acting to render the suction influence of the intake manifold on the windshield cleaner. substantially uniform, said means comprising an .enlarged chamber interposed in the suction conduit between the intake manifold and the windshield cleaner for re-' ceiving and retaining'excess'ive suction from the intakemanifold for expenditure upon the windshield cleaner when the degree of suction in the intake manifold is insufiicient for the practical operation of the windshield cleaner, and a valve interposed between the chamber andthe intake manifold and ada ted to seat toward said chamber for closmg the passage between the latter and said intake manifold when the degree of suction in the latter is less than that maintaining in the chamber whereby the pressure in said chamber is not raisedby and when a higher pressure exists in the intake manifold.

3. A windshield wiping apparatus comprising a tank, a pipe line for-connecting the tank with the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, a check valve in said pi line opening in a direction away from t e tank, a differential pressure-operated motor, a wiper member operably connected with said motor, and a pipe line connecting the tank with the motor.

In testimony whereof, we a our signatures.

FREDERICK G. FOLBERTEZ.

LIAM M. FOLBERTH. 

